Nourishments—

Fruitcake Fans Unite

By Nancy K. Crevier

Use them for mortar, dam up broken levees with them, use them as a stepping block, use them as paperweights, let the cat use them for scratching posts… the disparaging remarks about fruitcakes are endless, and this time of year, all of them are making the rounds.

I am one of only a few souls, apparently, who longs to be on the receiving end of a fruitcake during the holidays. A fruit cake, thick with chunks of rum saturated dried fruits wedged tightly against bits of chopped walnuts and pecans, redolent with aromatic spices, and aged in a powdered sugar and brandy wrap can be a slice of holiday bliss, in my opinion.

I think where the fruitcake has lost its allure is with the inclusion of citron fruits. Garishly colored in shades of red, green, and yellow, I am sure they are meant to convey a holiday spirit. But they add a strange, almost bitter component to an otherwise eclectic and delicious combination of genuine fruits and nuts. Not to mention, I suspect those colors are not found in nature….

What is citron? It is an elongated greenish-yellow fruit – although it does grow in other interesting shapes, including Buddha’s fingers, a mass of bright yellow digits extending from a central body of fruit —  indigenous to Southeast Asia. Less juicy than other citrus fruits, it is the dried, candied inner rind that is dyed and sold for addition to fruitcakes. While other cultures value the citron for jams, pickles, and tea, the fruit is not commonly found in American markets.

Fruitcakes that skimp on dried fruits also fail to develop followers, I think. When sliced, the eye should take in only fruit, fruit, and more fruit, nuts entertwined, and only a bit of cake peeking through.

Growing up, one or more fruitcakes always seemed to appear on our table during the winter holiday season. They were rich and dark (and yes, studded with those annoying pieces of citron), but we always served it with a side of rich salted butter, the perfect foil to the tangy, spicy confection. A steaming cup of coffee or a glass of port wine was the ideal accompaniment, and together, they warded off the cold and provided a time of respite for contemplation of the next task.

I will confess that long ago, I used to make and give away (citronless) fruit cakes. But when I began to suspect that the recipients valued them more for their longevity and weight than eating pleasure, I put away that recipe. I favored  the Dark Fruitcake recipe from Irma Rombauer’s The Joy of Cooking.

Sweetened with molasses and brown sugar, I substituted whole wheat flour successfully for half of the all purpose flour, and increased the baking powder and baking soda by just a bit to compensate. A teaspoon of ground ginger is also a nice addition. I also increased the quantity of dried fruits from 2½ cups to 3½ cups, making sure to use the best quality dried fruits I could find: figs, prunes, cherries, pineapple, and cranberries.

I chose to soak the fruit (including the dates, currants and raisins) for several hours beforehand, or overnight, in a cup of dark rum. Drain the fruit before mixing it in, and if it has not all been absorbed, reserve the liquor and add a couple tablespoons to the batter.

I couldn’t leave my love of fruitcake behind forever, though, so in a nod to that ubiquitous holiday cake, I eventually developed a fruitcake cookie; and to my knowledge, none of these are yet serving as doorstops. Let me know if you hear otherwise…

Here is the Dark Fruitcake recipe from The Joy of Cooking – adapt it as you see fit, but when you are finished, please enjoy it with a dear friend.

Dark Fruitcake

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and line the bottom and side of one 10-inch tube pan with parchment paper.

Sift together:

3 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp fresh grated or ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground mace

½ tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 3 to 5 minutes:

2 C packed light or dark brown sugar

Beat in:

½ C dark or light molasses

grated zest and juice of one orange

grated zest and juice of one lemon

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with, in 2 parts:

½ C brandy

beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until blending. Stir in:

2½ C dried/candied mixed fruits

2 C coarsely chopped walnuts

1½ C dates

1½ C currants

1½ C golden raisins

Scrape batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 3½ hours. If the cake begins to get too dark, cover it loosely with foil for the last half hour. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 1 hour. Invert cake and remove paper liner. Let cool, right side up, on the rack. When completely cooled, pierce it in several places all over with a skewer and slowly pour up to 1 cup of hot liquor such as brandy, rum, bourbon or wine over the cake. Allow it to absorb the liquid. Wrap the saturated cake in a brandy soaked cheesecloth and plastic.

Fruitcakes can be stored in a cool, dry place for several months, or as tradition might have it, years….

For those who want just a hint of fruitcake in their lives, try these:

Fruitcake Cookies

½ C each, chopped:

dates, pineapple, apricots, crystallized ginger, figs (be sure to snip off the hard stem end), gold or dark raisins, dried cherries, and dried cranberries

grated rind of one large lemon

grated rind of one small orange

Combine all in a glass bowl and pour 1 C rum over all. Toss to coat. Let stand, covered, for several hours or overnight.

(This will make enough fruit for two or three recipes of cookies. Refrigerate what fruit is not used.)

Beat together till light and fluffy:

½ C canola oil

½ C unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ C sugar

¾ C packed light brown sugar

Add and beat well:

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

¼ C plain lowfat yogurt

Stir together in a large bowl:

1 C white flour

¾ C whole wheat flour

1 ¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat briefly to combine. Stir in

3 C oats

3 C marinated dried fruits

¼ C each chopped walnuts and pecans

Beat briefly to combine.

Using 2 teaspoons to form balls, drop batter onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans after 8 minutes. Cookies should be lightly browned on top. Cool slightly on pan, remove with spatula – they are fragile – and cool on a wire rack.

Drizzle a bit of rum or brandy onto warm cookies.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.